An Expansionist Chill Comes to Greenland

Who would have thought Greenland could be so popular? Dogsledding, fishing, hunting and plenty of snow and ice is just the tip of the iceberg (sorry, I couldn’t resist). President Donald Trump wants to make the autonomous region of Denmark part of the United States and Greenland’s 55,000 or so people have suddenly found themselves at the center of an imperialist land-grab.

Vice President JD Vance pulled off what may have been the most inconvenient photo-op in the history of the United States (and Greenland) by attempting to visit a local dogsled race, only to be given the cold shoulder and limited to a three-hour visit of Pituffik Space Base in the far north of Greenland instead. Not long after the visit, even the Space Force commander overseeing the base pushed back against Vance’s visit. She was soon fired.

But who are the people who actually live in Greenland?

Nearly 90% of the people who live in Greenland are “Greenlandic Inuit,” followed by a lesser number of Danish Greenlanders and people from Denmark and other Nordic countries.

Now, instead of locals racing dogsleds and tourists visiting Greenland, U.S. spies may be headed for the world’s largest island.